12. Afternoon (The Tuileries Gardens) [cca. 1930]

Following the example of his era, after studying in Bucharest, Iosif Iser set out for Munich and Paris. He arrived in Paris in 1908, enrolling in the free Ranson Academy. He continued his graphic design work started in his homeland and collaborated with publications such as "Le Témoin" and "Le Rire". He now entered the inner circles of French artists, befriended Derain and Brâncuși, and joined the artistic circle of Bateau-Lavoir, which had Picasso at its center. Iser honed his pen on satire and became known throughout Europe because of his drawings. In 1921 he returned to Paris with his wife, and in 1924 participated in numerous celebrated collective exhibitions, such as the "Salon des Tuileries" or the "Salon d'Automne". In 1925, he opened his first solo exhibition in France, at the Devambez gallery, where he presented Romanian Dobrogea landscapes to the French audience. He kept exhibiting in Parisian salons and in 1931 opened solo exhibitions in Antwerp and Brussels. The year 1934 coincides with his last year abroad. A series of rich landscapes dating from the aforementioned period capture the beauty of France, of parks and gardens in the heart of cities, grand sculptures, and impressive palaces. The landscape now becomes a specific genre in the artist's work, reflecting wide panoramas of a captivating environment. The predominant theme remains nature, with fruitful vegetation and clear skies. The artist imprints in the lines of the drawings and the colorful strokes the specificities of the locations he paints. He incorporates light into color and conveys the beauty of summer days through strong contrasts. He often includes characters. Iser's protagonists are captured sitting docile on a bench, or frantically moving during a stroll. Regardless of the way they are portrayed, his characters contribute to the atmosphere of the landscapes, that the artist imbues with the murmur of conversation and the energy of the crowd.

References

The catalogue of the retrospective exhibition "Iser. 1881-1958", Art Museum of the Socialist Republic of Romania, Bucharest, 1983.

Dimensions

width 50.5 cm, height 65.5 cm

Description

gouache on paper, signed lower right, in black, "ISER"

Dating

cca. 1930

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